ASSESSMENT OF PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST BY SPIROMETRY IN PATIENTS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48047/Keywords:
Pulmonary Function Test (PFT); Spirometry, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Lung CapacityAbstract
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a persistent, inflammatory, systemic illness mainly affecting multiple joints. Rheumatoid arthritis affects 0.8% of people worldwide, ranging from 0.3% to 2.1%. Pulmonary involvement is also evident in rheumatoid arthritis, which
includes pulmonary nodules, diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, exudative pleural disease, and interstitial lung disease. To assess the lung function of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, A spirometry test tracks a subject's breathing patterns by measuring the amount of air they inhale and expel over time. A study was proposed to estimate spirometry indices in patients
with rheumatoid arthritis.
Material & Methods: Patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were the subjects of this cross-sectional, observational study who visited the Rheumatology clinic at the General Medicine Department at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jaipur. All the participants underwent a pulmonary function test using the EasyOne Pro computerized spirometer, and their lung indices were recorded in a predesigned form. After gathering and entering the data into Microsoft Excel, SPSS version 23 was used for statistical analysis. The categorical data was presented as tables with numbers and percentages, whereas medians and interquartile ranges, or means and standard deviations, were used to summarize continuous variables.
Results: In our study, eighty-five rheumatoid arthritis patients were included, most of whom were above fifty years and 54.25±1.2 years as the mean age. Female patients were dominant
(64.7%). They identified significant airway obstruction in 20%, small airway disease in 12%, and restrictive lung disease in 39% of patients.
Conclusion: According to this study, respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function tests are essential for assessing individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, and early intervention strategies must be employed to provide better care.
